


The Day Hillary took Steve to the Mall

by 20SomethingSuperHeroes



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Domestic Avengers, Gen, Hanging Out
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-22
Updated: 2015-07-22
Packaged: 2018-04-10 17:58:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,745
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4401728
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/20SomethingSuperHeroes/pseuds/20SomethingSuperHeroes
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>If you thought CA:TWS was Steve Rogers' first trip to the mall, you are much mistaken.  Of course, this occasion isn't his first trip, either.  On this particular Saturday, Steve is tagging along with one of his S.H.I.E.L.D. friends, Hillary Tanner, and a group of her friends.</p><p>Setting: Five months before the fall of S.H.I.E.L.D. Also just two weeks prior to the events of "Thor: The Dark World."</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Day Hillary took Steve to the Mall

Right after Halloween, Steve Rogers, found himself with a few days of office work at the Triskelion and a free day on Saturday.

On Saturday morning, he got a Facebook message from Hillary Tanner.

Hillary: Hey, Steve!

Steve: Hi, Hillary

Hillary: What are you up to?

Steve: Not much. How about you?

Hillary: i was about to go to the mall with some girl friends. You wanna come with?

Steve: Sure. which mall?

Hillary: The _____ one.

Steve: I haven’t been to that one yet. OK. When do we leave?

Hillary: In a few minutes. We’re picking up another friend on the way. Can I get your number?

Steve: If I can have yours, sure.

[they exchanged phone numbers]

Hillary: Thankz. I’ll text you when we’re on our way. You still live at that ____ place?

Steve: uh-huh

Hillary: See you in a bit :)

Steve: See ya :)

 

They came in her current roommate Kat’s car. 

Mark gave a gasp that almost sounded like a scream when he saw Steve coming out of the building. He was wearing a baseball cap.

“Whahahat? You didn’t tell me Captain America was coming with us?”

“Who?” asked Larissa, looking confused.

“Steve and I went to S.H.I.E.L.D. school together,” Hillary explained. 

“No way!” said Kat.

Hillary rolled down her window. “Get in, loser! We’re going shopping!”

Kristie began to climb out of the passenger’s seat as Steve approached. 

“Oh, hi, Kristie!” said Steve. “I didn’t know you were in the neighborhood.”

“I think Captain America should take shotgun,” she said.

“Naw, naw, I can get in back, it’s fine,” said Steve. 

“No, seriously, take it!”

“Captain’s orders.”

Kristie rolled her eyes and got back in as Hillary, Larissa, and Mark scooted to make room in the back.

“Are there going to be enough seatbelts for us?” Steve asked.

“Good question,” said Larissa.

“It’s only a few minutes’ drive,” said Hillary. “We’ll be fine.”

“Well, I’ll be fine with it as long as we don’t get pulled over,” said Steve. 

“Chill, bro, how are you?” Mark asked him, reaching over to shake hands.

“Doing good,” said Steve. 

“Steve, this is one of my current roommates, Larissa,” said Hillary. Larissa reached over Hillary’s lap to shake hands. “And driving us is my other current roommate, Kat.”

“How do you do?” said Steve. Kat nodded.

“This isn’t your car, is it?” asked Steve.

“Nope, this is Kat’s,” said Hillary.

“Thought I’d need it in case I need to make a quick getaway,” said Kat. “I work for the CIA. They put me on call this afternoon, so I thought I’d drive.”

“That’s generous of you,” said Steve. “Where are you from?”

“I’m from Pennsylvania, just outside of Harrisburg.”

“Cool. And Larissa, where’re you from?”

“Baltimore,” said Larissa cooly. 

“Nice. What are you doing up here?”

“I’m going to cosmotolegy school,” said Larissa. “I could’ve gone anywhere, really, but I just wanted to move out of the house. After that I’ll do community college and pay my way through.”

“That’s smart, getting a means to pay your way. Sounds like fun. And how have you been, Mark?”

“Been doing great. I put together the pictures from the Halloween party on Facebook. Did you get to see them?”

“Yes, I did.”

“Turned out all right, didn’t they?”

“Most of them, that weren’t in the dark.”

“Wait, you have Facebook now?” said Kat.

“Well, who says I can’t now that I’m off the ice?” said Steve.

“Steve only Facebook friends his S.H.I.E.L.D. buddies, or the Avengers,” said Hillary.

“I am willing to make exceptions, for a price.”

“Name it,” said Kat.

“Cup of coffee.”

“I’ll square with you, then,” said Kat. “There’s a Starbucks at the mall, isn’t there?”

“So have they been keeping you pretty busy at the office, Steve?” asked Kristie.

“Busy enough to pay me. How about you?”

“Oh, I’ve been fine. Mostly desk work. Nothing crazy. It’s been kind of slow at S.H.I.E.L.D. recently, hasn’t it?”

“Yeah, seems like it.”

“So what is it you guys do, when you’re not out chasing monsters or aliens or whatever?”

“It’s not just supernatural threats,” said Hillary, “it’s also people with weapons technology that we try to keep tabs on. Nothing really happens that much.”

“Well, you were all in school when the Mandarin almost killed Iron Man,” said Kat. “That fiasco kept the intelligence ops busy for weeks.” 

“How is Emily doing, by the way?” asked Kristie. “I haven’t seen her for a while. I was out of town last week. I was really sad about missing the Halloween party. It sounded like fun.”

“Oh, it was amazing!” Mark sniffed.

“Yeah, Emily’s doing good,” said Steve. “I’m surprised she’s keeping busier than I am, actually.”

“Too right,” said Hillary.

“And how are Jamie and Sara doing?”

“They’re all right. Jamie had a huge assignment in Africa a few weeks ago, said she loved it over there,” said Kristie. “And Sara just got reassigned to the office in Utah a few months ago, it’s keeping her busy.”

“Good, good.”

They drove into the parking lot at the mall and parked outside of Macy’s.

As they climbed out, Steve asked, “Isn’t this the same Macy’s that does the Thanksgiving Day parade?”

“I think so,” said Hillary.

“Yeah, it is,” said Mark.

“Oh, okay.”

“You got plans for Thanksgiving yet, Steve?” asked Kristie.

“Not really. You’re the first person to ask, actually.”

“You’re the first person I’ve heard say that,” said Kat. 

“Well, I don’t know if I have it off yet. I probably will get it off, though,” Steve shrugged. “Most likely then I’ll just go hang out at Stark Tower like I did last year.”

“Do you hang out with the Avengers much?” asked Mark.

“Not as much as you’d think,” said Steve, “especially since I moved down here. Hawkeye or Black Widow both work for S.H.I.E.L.D. and we get sent on assignments together sometimes. Black Widow’s actually my trainer.”

“Remind me which one’s Black Widow again?” asked Larissa.

“The crazy lady with the gun,” said Kat.

“Right, just making sure. Are they nice to you?” she asked Steve.

“They can be, when they want. Usually they want something from me. Tony Stark likes to get on my nerves a little, but I’m cool with it. We’re not ‘best friends’ like everybody thinks we are, just a bunch of people that have to work together sometimes.”

“And have you seen Thor lately?” asked Mark.

“Nope. he’s back on Asgard, right where he should be,” said Steve as they entered the store. 

They fell silent as they entered the store. Around the lavish displays of posh clothing and accessories were already bright red and green and gold Christmas trimmings, and “Feliz  
Navidad” was playing over the loudspeaker.

“Already?” moaned Mark.

“Well, I don’t mind it as long as it’s after Halloween!” said Hillary. “But, you’re right, it is too soon.”

“It’s all about skipping over to Christmas,” moaned Kat.

“Feliz Navidad!” Larissa started singing, but in a different key from the radio.

“Now don’t you start that!” said Kat.

“Come on! Sing with me! ‘Feliz Navidad!’’ she took Kat by the arm.

Kat shrugged and they started singing together.

“I think the whole purpose of going out to the mall with friends is to make fools of ourselves in public,” Hillary commented. She turned to look back at Steve. “You’re welcome to go home if you’d rather--”

“Oh, no, no, it’s fine,” said Steve, shrugging. But Kat and Larissa didn’t embarrass them for long, and soon they were walking through the jewelry section. Steve caught the eye of  
a female clerk but tipped his hat and looked away before she had seen him longer than a second.

“You guys, where should we go?” said Larissa. “If Steve’s never been to a mall before--”

“I have been to a mall before,” Steve corrected her, “just not this one.”

“All right, but then he’s never done it properly!”

“Let’s take him to Bath and Body Works,” said Kat. The others readily assented.

“What do they have there?” asked Steve as they entered the main concourse of the mall.

“Soaps. Candles. Anything you can put a scent in,” said Kristie.

“Hey, can we stop by Ribbons’ after that? I’m wanting a new hat,” said Kat.

“Sure thing,” said Hillary.

Steve walked in between Hillary and Mark and the other three led the way.

“Hey, look!” said Kat, pointing at a sign in front of a store. “American Eagle is having a sale! Let’s go take a look!” She and Larissa ran ahead, clutching their purses. Hillary took off after them. 

“But what happened to Bath and Body Works?” Steve asked Kristie.

“We’ll get there, eventually,” Kristie shrugged. 

Steve shadowed Mark around the men’s clothing section for a minute. Steve unfolded a large undershirt for examination. 

“What size are you, man?” asked Mark.

“Erm, Extra large? Double extra large?”

Mark looked Steve up and down. “A double extra large in your size might actually be a triple.” 

Steve put the shirt back down. Most of the items for sale didn’t really appeal to him, a lot of it smaller and tighter than he would have liked. Hoping Mark wouldn’t judge him, he  
browsed around and meandered to the women’s section to see what Kristie and Kat were up to. They were trying on accessories, mainly hats and scarves. 

“What, the men’s hats aren’t appealing to you, Rogers?” Hillary asked.

“Not sure any of them would fit around my big head,” he said. “Women tend to think my head is rather swollen.”

“Oh, your head’s just fine, Steve,” said Hillary as she tried on a fedora. “It’s the right size, if you ask me.”

“Well, that sounds like a compliment, but what’s the catch?”

Hillary took the hat off. “Just dating advice. If your head is swollen, then you need someone who can puncture it for you.”

“Are you offering your services?”

“Not even,” she sniffed. She examined a scarf made of glittering black and gold gauze.

“Oh, this is so pretty,” said Kristie, holding the end of it.

“How much is it? Forty dollars, humph,” Hillary read the tag.

“Golly,” said Steve, looking at the scarf. “For something made of such little material, why does it cost so much?”

“You tell me,” said Kristie.

They saw Mark and Kat and Larissa heading out of the store and followed them.

Around a corner they came to Bath and Body Works.

“Well, that wasn’t much of a detour,” said Steve. 

“You’re just lucky we weren’t in there for very long,” said Hillary.

Mark shuffled reluctantly at the rear of the group as they entered. “I always get a headache when I come to this store. And after a while it all smells the same.”

“Stop being a party-pooper,” said Larissa. 

“And don’t ruin it for Steve, either,” added Hillary.

On display at the very front of the store was a scent collection called Holiday magic. 

“Rats, I was hoping they still had their pumpkin stuff on sale,” said Kat.

“They got rid of it last week,” said Larissa. “Christmas stuff always goes on sale before Halloween.”

“That makes absolutely no sense,” said Steve.

“It probably doesn’t make any ‘scents’ either,” said Kristie. Several in their group snickered. 

Steve picked up a bottle of lotion called Holly and Ice. He popped open the lid to sniff it.

“They let you rub some on your hands, if you want to,” said Hillary. “Just a little bit on your wrist.”

“Oh, okay,” said Steve, not sure how manly he felt rubbing scented hand lotion onto his hand. 

Mark checked out the gift baskets while Larissa and Kat sniffed the candles from the display. Kristie wandered off to the display right behind the first that featured an array of  
warmer scents like vanilla, baked apple and cherry pie. Steve went after her. He was drawn to the warm vanilla cinnamon candle. “Some of it almost smells like my mom’s cooking,” he said.

“Do you miss her?” asked Kristie.

“A little, yeah,” Steve nodded. “She died just a little bit before the war, actually.” His eyes lingered on a butterscotch scent, but he decided not to try it. 

“How about this one?” said Kristie, inhaling a scent called Runny Chocolate Fudge. She showed it to Steve. He went ahead and smelled it.

“My best friend’s mom made fudge that smelled like that,” he said. He looked at Hillary. “We should probably get out of here before I really start reminiscing.”

“You can leave if you want to,” she said. She was handling a lotion called Aqua Berry Blast and wondering if she could buy it with a perfume and bath soap to match.

“Steve, come smell this,” Larissa called to them from the other side of the room. Steve joined her and Kat and smelled the proffered bottle of Japanese Cherry Blossom. 

“Smells great,” said Steve. 

“Did you ever go to Japan?” asked Kat.

“Naw, I was in Europe most of the war.” 

“So what do you do now?” she asked.

Steve explained his job at S.H.I.E.L.D.. Behind him, Mark was looking at a gift basket. A female attendant who had been eyeing Steve walked up to Mark and asked him if he  
needed anything. Mark asked her a few questions about their upcoming sales. She left when he thanked her. 

Steve had been too busy talking to Kat to watch behind him, and he jumped when the female attendant spoke up.

“Oh, I’m sorry,” she said, “I didn’t mean to scare you.”

“No, you’re all right,” said Steve, blushing a little. Kat and Larissa giggled.

“I was just checking to see if you needed help finding anything,” said the attendant. 

“Well, I probably won’t be buying anything today,” he said. “But I’ll let you know, if I need something.”

“Okay,” she said, nodding and backing away. 

When Steve turned around, he saw Kat and Larissa looking at him. 

“Hmm, she’s checking you out, eh?” said Kat.

“Ha, well, that was nice of her to come and ask,” he said feebly. 

He sniffed a few varieties of candles and soaps. Some were interesting, it was true, but after a while they did all smell the same. 

Hillary went to check out air fresheners for her car. She collected several in different scents, then went to find her friends.

“You guys, I’m ready to check out. Did you want a few more minutes to browse?”

“No, we’re good,” said Mark.

“Where did you get those?” asked Kat, pointing at Hillary’s bundle of scents.

“Back there,” she said, pointing with a nod of her head.

“I want some,” said Kat.

“What are they?” asked Steve.

“Scented air fresheners for your car,” Hillary explained, showing him.

“Ah. I don’t have a car. Might check that out though.”

He turned to follow Kat and Hillary back to the car accessories, but then stopped by one of the scent displays he had been to earlier. He took two candles, one of the fudge variety  
and one of the cinnamon. Then he went with the two girls to examine the car scent packs. He was the third to check out. The store attendant who had tried to help him earlier rang him up. He noticed her eyeing his debit card as she swiped it.

“I thought you said earlier you weren’t going to buy anything,” she said to him.

“I said I probably wasn’t,” Steve replied to her. 

She handed back his card and receipt. She put his candles in a bag. “Well, you have a nice day,” she said.

“You too.” 

“Come again sometime.”

Steve thought about saying he might, but he let it slide. 

Back in the hallway of the mall, Larissa, Kristie and Mark harassed Steve about his purchase and the store attendant’s flirtations. 

“Gallas, you know it’s not going to work,” said Hillary. “You know what kind of a dating life he has.”

“None at all,” Mark snerked.

“Mark, be nice,” said Kristie. 

Just down the hallway from Bath and Body Works was Hollister. Larissa caught sight of it and proposed that they go in there. 

Steve followed them inside and tailed Larissa and Kristie as they examined some of the clothes for sale.

“So basically it’s the same as American Eagle?” he said after he’d had a good look around.

“It’s not the same, you dope!” said Larissa quietly.

“Meh, they’re basically the same,” said Kristie.

Kat found a belt on sale for thirty dollars, reduced considerably from its original price of fifty. 

Right next to Hollister was a store called “Tricked-Out” that sold phone accessories.

“Wanna check it out?” Mark said to Steve.

“Sure,” Steve shrugged. The technology of the new age intrigued him somewhat. Inside the store, the sales associate politely kept his distance while they browsed. There were  
phone cases, covers, and attachments and chargers of every degree. He wondered how his phone would look in a blingy Union Jack cover, or if a case with stencilled roses would be considered too effeminate.

They didn’t stay in that store very long, however. They marched down the hallway and decided to make their way to the food court for lunch. Not far from the phone accessory  
store, they passed a mall kiosk selling exotic skin treatments, watched over by an olive-skinned saleswoman who wore excessive makeup.

“Hey, handsome,” said the saleswoman, eyeing Steve and batting her enormous fake eyelashes. “You care to try a free sample of our refreshing scalp massage?”

“Thank you,” said Steve as they continued to walk quickly past the kiosk, “but I don’t need any.”

“Well how about something for your friends?” she said, noticing that Kristie and Mark were looking at her.

“I don’t think so. Have a nice day.” He gave her a half-hearted wave and turned around.

“What was that man?” asked Mark.

“What?”

“The wave? Was that Jedi mind trick?”

“Maybe,” said Steve. His face broadened into a grin. “Yeah, I guess it was.” He repeated the gesture and said, “‘These aren’t the clients you’re looking for.’”

Kat and Larissa shrugged. Mark, Hillary, and Kristie laughed with Steve.

“I forgot how much you used to hang out with Emily,” said Kristie. 

Mark’s eyes widened. “Oh! That’s right, she’s a--”

“Mark, you know that’s top secret,” said Hillary.

“Right, I know, sorry. But seriously.” Mark chuckled.

“Hmph, maybe she’s rubbing off on you,” said Hillary. She elbowed Steve in the ribs. “The Force is strong with this one!”

“So Steve,” said Kat, “I want to ask you something.”

“Go right ahead.”

“Does the whole world know about you? I mean about you still being alive and all, after the ice?”

“Most people do,” said Steve, nodding sagely. “S.H.I.E.L.D. tried to cover it up, but after what happened in New York they just stopped trying. Most people I run into figure out who I am pretty quickly.”

Larissa nodded. “And are there people who are still surprised by it?”

“Every so often,” said Steve. “There was this guy I met whose father fought in the war, he was in one of the units that I was with in Europe. He hadn’t heard, but when I explained  
to him who I was it was kind of hard for him to make sense of it. I think he really couldn’t believe me.”

“Is your face in the paper a lot?” asked Larissa. “Are you in the news, ever?”

“Not really. I try to keep out of the spotlight.”

“Well, a blind man could tell that girl back at Bath and Body Works was really onto ya,” said Mark. “A lot of girls notice you.”

“That’s because I’m apparently good-looking for some reason. Some mad scientist put this serum in me that made me perfect, I guess.”

“Oh, really, that’s where you came from?” asked Larissa.

“Please, don’t make him do his party trick,” said Hillary, rolling her eyes. Steve nearly reached into his pocket for his phone to tease her. 

They arrived at Claire’s with its front entrance painted pink and purple. They went inside, the girls walking in first, Mark and Steve holding back before deciding to follow.

“Hey, Steve,” said Kristie, “you said earlier you might be hanging out with the Avengers for the holidays, right?”

“Yes, I might be,” he said.

“Well, maybe you should get them some presents for Christmas. Nothing big, you know, just little trinkets, tokens of affection.”

“Affection, right,” Steve huffed.

Hillary held up a barrette decorated with a massive pink flower. “You could get this for Black Widow. You think she’d like it?”

“Ummmm, no,” said Steve.

Kristie laughed. 

Steve went to linger beside Mark, who was examining earrings. He was thinking of getting his mother a pair for Christmas. No one in their group ended up buying anything at  
Claire’s, and they left to go to Ribbon’s, an accessories store.

Steve thought he would go blind from all of the dazzling jewelry he saw there. Larissa looked for a scarf while Kat, Kristie and Hillary tried on tiaras. Steve was watching them goof off when he noticed a reflection in the mirror of a woman he had seen before, though he couldn’t quite put his finger on just where. He turned around to observe her browse through a brown and red-themed jewelry display.

Hillary noticed his distraction. “Hey, Steve, whatcha looking at?”

“Nothing,” he said.

“You’re a terrible liar, Steve,” said Kristie.

“Who is it?” said Hillary, taking notice of the woman. “The blonde girl, right?”

“Yeah,” said Steve quietly.

“Where is she from?”

“I...I think she lives in my apartment complex,” he said. “I think she’s right next door to me.”

“Next door to you?”

“Yeah.”

“Do you know her?”

“Well, I know she’s a nurse. But she works an awful lot--”

The woman had stopped moving, but then put her head back down, pretending to be a lot more interested in the earring and necklace set she was considering.

“Well why don’t you go say hi to her?” said Hillary, trying to shove him out into the open.

“Hillary, don’t push me, just--”

“I’ll be right behind you, buddy.”

“But, Hillary, I don’t even know what to say to her!”

“You’re neighbors! You can totally say hi to her!”

“Yeah, well chances are she probably already knows who--”

“Shut up! You can’t like a girl unless she sees you for more than that!”

Steve tried to step away from the overbearing Hillary. But then he looked up and saw the woman staring at him. She smiled awkwardly. He awkwardly smiled back and gave a  
fainthearted wave.

Kristie and Kat were watching behind him, and they laughed. 

“Mind your own business,” he said to them. He stepped out of the store to wait in the hallway.

Mark sized up the situation from a distance and followed him.

“You’re such a pansy, Steve!” Hillary called after them.

Mark put his arm around Steve as they walked out. “I feel ya, bro. I can’t make a move if people are watchin’, ya know.”

“I can’t seem to make a move period,” Steve said. 

“Well, just hang in there. When the time is right, you’ll pull it off just fine. I guarantee it.” Mark checked his phone while they waited. A couple of minutes after their inglorious  
exit, their lady friends emerged from Ribbon’s.

“What were you thinking?” said Kristie. “That girl is talking down about you now to the cashier.”

“Boy, she’s probably going to be posting this on her Facebook or Twitter any moment now,” said Kat, who was wearing her new hat. “‘Captain America totally just failed’ or something like that.”

“I don’t think she’s that shallow,” said Steve. “But anyway, let’s move on. How about lunch?”

“That sounds like a great idea,” said Mark. The others were quick to agree with them. 

Steve let the thought of food distract him from his recent humiliation. Entering the food court, he felt his stress give way as he deeply inhaled the mixed scents of Chinese, Mexican, Italian and other specialty eateries. They each grabbed a sample of the orange chicken from the vendor standing outside The Shanghai Buffet. Then they split up to by their separate meals. Hillary got a fancy Philly Cheesesteak from The Chesapeake Cheesesteak, while Larissa and Kristie got a slice of pizza each and a salad and breadsticks from Luigi’s Italian Grill and Pizza Stop. Mark had a quesadilla from Tacos Supreme. Steve followed Kat to the Asian Garden. Kat ordered a small platter of sushi. Steve got stir fry.  
The mall food court, though noisy, was a splendid environment to eat in. There was a high vaulted ceiling arched over the dining area with lots of windows to let in the natural light. And with the holidays approaching, the arch was filled with curtains of lights and baubles. 

“Tacos Supreme isn’t real Mexican food,” said Larissa as they were eating, shaking her finger at Mark. “It’s a Taco Bell knockoff. And Taco Bell isn’t real Mexican food either.”

“Well how do you know what real Mexican food is?” asked Mark, stuffing a slice of quesadilla in his mouth. “did you grow up in Mexico?”

“Heck no. But I used to be a waitress at Maricelas’, on ___th Street. That’s real Mexican food.”

“But did they let you eat there?” asked Mark.

“Sometimes,” said Larissa. “The only problem with real Mexican food is that it’s too freaking fattening.”

“Speak for yourself,” said Hillary.

“Don’t worry about me, Larissa,” said Steve. “My S.H.I.E.L.D. friends have taken me to Maricelas’s. I know what real Meixcan food is.”

“Which S.H.I.E.L.D. friends?” asked Kristie.

“Romanoff and Barton.”

“Oh. Do you get to be the awkward third wheel?” asked Hillary.

“What?” said Steve.

“Hillary, come on, that’s just gossip!” said Kristie.

“I was just joking,” said Hillary. “I don’t really think they’re--”

Larissa interrupted them not quite on purpose, “So if you want to bring your other S.H.I.E.L.D. friends, say the Avengers, down to DC sometime, you be sure to take them to  
Maricela’s and show them real Mexican food. And you let me know if I can help out with that. I still got friends who work there,” said Larissa.

“Sure thing,” Steve shrugged, though he hoped that she would forget to remind him. 

“Well,” Mark said, wiping his lips on a napkin, “is there anywhere else we want to go today?”

“Can we go back to Forever 21?” asked Larissa. “I wanted to look at their boots.”

“Sure.”

“Hey, is the photo booth on the way back there?” asked Kat. “Because I don’t believe our friend here has had the true American Mall experience without stopping in a photo booth.”

“Riiiiiight,” said Mark as they all turned to look at Steve.

“Sure,” said Steve. “I’m willing to try that.”

“Great idea, y’all,” said Kristie. They got up and emptied their trays in the garbage. 

They strode down the concourse and soon enough came to the photo booth. They began stepping inside, first Hillary, then Kristie, then Mark, then Larissa, then Kat and finally  
Steve. Hillary and Kristie were soon squished to the back and complaining for lack of space.

“I need to breathe!” Kristie said, trying to lean out the far side.

“Maybe I can scoot into the back,” said Mark, trying to shove himself between them.

“No, you’re making it worse!” said Hillary. “Steve, get out for a second!”

Steve stepped out of the booth. 

“Now, Kristie, you stay to my right, Mark, you can sit on the floor, Kat and Larissa you can go on either side of him, Steve maybe you can squeeze in on the side.”

“Who’s paying for this?”

“I am,” said Kristie. “Do we like the bubble-hearts frame or do we want something else?”

“Something less cheesy,” said Mark.

“My face still doesn’t show up,” said Kat, examining the screen. “There isn’t any room in here!” 

“Try shoving sideways,” suggested Larissa.

“I like the purple border,” said Steve. 

“Nah, let’s go with the green one,” said Kat.

“Now I can’t see my face!” said Mark.

“Try sitting yourself up a little bit,” said Hillary.

“Is that better?”

“Yeah.”

“But now how am I supposed to get in without messing up all of you guys?” said Steve.

“Well, maybe you could just climb in and we could all squish to one side?”

“No, there isn’t any room,” said Larissa.

“How about on the floor with Mark?” asked Kristie.

“No! There isn’t any room for me as it is!” Mark protested.

“You guys, are we ready to take it?” asked Hillary. 

“Kat, you’re closer, you’ll have to press the button,” said Kristie.

Meanwhile, Mark had been trying to figure out how to get Steve in the picture.

“You know, how about you just lean in, Steve?” Mark suggested.

“Lean in, like this?” asked Steve, sticking his head into the booth.

“Yeah, like that, just leave your feet where you are and stick your head in. Are we all right?”

Steve managed to find a spot for his face and, removing his baseball hat, fixed his hair a little.

“Ah-hah,” said Steve.

“Much better,” said Hillary.

“But wait, doesn’t that leave the rest of his body sticking out of the booth?” asked Kat. “There’s a creepy lady walking by right now who’s looking at you funny, Steve.”

“Well, then I guess I’ll just throw the curtain over my backside and no one will be the wiser.”

“Right,” Larissa rolled her eyes.

Steve adjusted the curtain.

“Sure, nobody’s going to notice it’s weird that someone’s backside is sticking out of the box,” said Kristie.

In fact, Steve felt someone nudge him from behind. He whipped the curtain off and said to the startled shoppers, “Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain!”

The girls outside whooped and ran, thankfully not dropping any of their purchases. The group inside the photo booth had a good laugh.

“Okay, are we ready now?” asked Kristie when the laughter subsided. There were nods of assent. “Okay, it’ll take five photos. First one, how about...formal. Three, two, one,” she  
read out the countdown on the kiosk screen and the photo snapped their somber faces. “Now smiling. Even bigger smiles, I want to see your teeth! My dad’s a --” the photo snapped “--dentist. Now do a funny picture! Now another funny one!”

A man stuck his head into the far side of the booth. “Excuse me,” he said. 

The photo snappped at precisely the right to capture their startled faces at the seventh face in the picture, but came too late for their yells of surprise.

“Clint, good heavens!” said Steve.

“Boo!” said Clint Barton, his face an amused frown.

“Hey, no fair, buddy,” said Mark. “Don’t you know Halloween was last week?”

“That was rude,” Kat groaned as the picture printed, including the fifth bombed shot that hadn’t even shown her face because Clint’s was in the way.

“Hahaha, your neck,” said Larissa.

They piled out of the photo booth from both ends. 

“Very funny, Clint,” said Steve, walking around to shake hands with his fellow Avenger. “How did you know it was me?”

“I just listened to the sounds of the screaming girls from halfway across the mall,” Clint shrugged. “How are you, buddy?”

“Doing good. Just out doing some shopping with some friends.” Steve put his baseball hat back on and then shrugged his hands into his pockets. “What’re you doing here?”

“Oh, me? I’m just doing some Christmas shopping.”

“Christmas shopping? Man, it’s not even Veterans’ day. How early do you like it?”

“Early enough,” said Clint. “With a schedule like mine, you never know when you’ll get the chance…” He trailed off as Steve eyed the pink-striped Victoria’s Secret bag he was  
carrying. 

“Uh-huh. Well, good to see you. You in town?”

“For the moment. I’ll be gone again tomorrow.”

Hillary and company had just finished looking over the photo when Hillary approached Steve and Clint.

“Agent Barton, right?” she said.

Clint nodded.

“How are you doing?”

“Doing fine,” said Clint. “You’re one of the new girls, right?”

“Been working for S.H.I.E.L.D. as long as Steve has, if that’s what you consider new. I’m Agent Tanner.”

“Nice to meet you,” said Clint.

Hillary saw the Victoria’s Secret bag in his hand. “Is that for a friend?”

“It’s for me,” Clint said gruffly. “I’m just teasing!” he added when he saw Steve’s baffled expression. They and their friends laughed. 

“This here’s Agent Reyman,” she said, introducing Kristie. “And these are my roommates, and our friend Mark. Friends, this is Agent Barton, one of my friends from S.H.I.E.L.D.,  
well--do you mind if I told them?”

“Don’t do it here,” said Clint.

“Okay, I’ll tell you who he is later,” Hillary said to them.  
“Well, it was very nice to meet you all,” said Clint, “but I’ve got someone I’m meeting for lunch. I’ll catch you later, Rogers.”

“Later,” said Steve, as Clint walked off in the other direction.

They made their way to Forever 21.

“So who was that guy?” asked Mark.

“That was Hawkeye,” Hillary said quietly to him.

“Sweeeeeeeeeet!” Mark gasped.

“What, what’d I miss?” asked Larissa.

“You guys, that guy we just met was Hawkeye--”

Hillary, Kristie, and Steve shushed them.

“Mark, really!” said Hillary.

“Clint likes his privacy,” said Steve. “We shouldn't be talking about it here.”

“You guys are all sworn to secrecy!” Kristie hissed at them.

“Right, like you’re not getting in trouble for it anyway,” said Larissa.

“I might get in trouble,” said Kat.

“Well, Barton’s a really chill guy, isn’t he, Steve?” asked Hillary.

“Er, chill enough,” said Steve.

Hillary took a scan of the photo reel that afternoon and posted it on Facebook.

#CaptainAmerica #Heswithus #UJelly? #Chillinatthemall #Goodtimes #photobombedbyhawkeye #BFFLS #totes

Sara Martin, Larissa Martinez, and 15 other people like this.

Tony Stark: How many girlfriends do you have, Cap? I thought you said you had a hard time getting dates.

Natasha Romanova: Seriously, Clint? That’s the small act of blackmail you were committing at the mall this afternoon?

Emily Bridger: You’re killing me, Smalls!


End file.
